Week 11 Highs and Lows

WEEK 11 TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
CARDinals	Skelton/lindley	falcons	LOSS	7.155
redskins	R. Griffin III	eagles	WIN	6.275
Jets	m. sanchez	rams	win	6.175
bengals	a. dalton	falcons	win	5.865

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE THE WORST LOSS OF THE SEASON! No QB has lost in 2012 with a QB Support level higher than 5.5. In week 11, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley lost not just with a QB Support level above that, but with a week high 7.155 level of support. The Cardinals QBs had to overcome 16 points that the Cardinals defense allowed. Lindley would give away 7 more on a fumble the Falcons returned for a TD. The QBs also benefited from 137 yards on the ground. The real support, however, was the field position they enjoyed as a result of a defense that generated six turnovers. The Cardinals offense started drives on the Atlanta 9, 18, 35, 16, and 32 yard line. And yet, the Cardinals QBs were so ineffective at moving the ball (a combined 11/27 for 70 yards) that even with a strong ground game they translated the field position into only 19 points. The only TD drive for the Cardinals was a two play drive from the Falcons 9 yard line. On that drive, Skelton simply handed the ball off for two plays. These QBs did less to help their team win than any other QB so far in the 2012 season.

Coming off a few tough losses and a bye, it’s best if you can make things as easy possible for your rookie QB. In week 11, it looked like Robert Griffin III didn’t need much QB support at times, but it definitely helped. RGIII never had to play from behind as his first drive started at Philadelphia’s nine yard line. The defense would hold the Eagles to six points, and give RGIII great field position on other occasions as well. The rookie certainly played a strong game, but he wasn’t exactly put in a compromising situation.

The struggles of Mark Sanchez have been well-documented in this blog, but even he can win games with QB Support levels of 6 or greater. The Jets defense allowed only 13 points, Sanchez’s teammates added 125 offensive yards on their own, and Sanchez started 4 drives deep into Rams territory, including one on the Rams 13 yard line.

Andrew Dalton also benefited from high QB Support levels in week 11. The Bengals held the Chiefs to a mere 6 points, and Dalton’s teammates rushed for 176 yards. It’s that simple. Other factors aside, 176 rushing yards make it pretty easy to put up more than 6 points.

  

WEEK 11 BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
raiders	c. palmer	saints	loss	1.505
chiefs	CASSELL/Quinn	bengals	LOSS	1.190
jaguars	c. henne	texans	loss	0.485
colts	a. luck	patriots	LOSS	0.125

Carson Palmer just can’t seem to get himself off this list. The 38-17 loss to the Saints actually marked the highest support he received since the Raiders beat the Chiefs in week 8. Palmer threw a pick six, so his QB Support levels adjusted for 31 points against the defense, but that’s still not exactly excellent. With 117 rushing yards and nothing special in terms of field position, this was a somewhat winnable game for Palmer, but definitely an uphill battle.

It’s been made clear that Matt Cassell hasn’t been particularly good at winning games this year, even when he receives high QB Support levels. Thus, it shouldn’t surprise us that a low QB Support level for the Chiefs turned into a blowout loss. Neither Cassell or Quinn played exceptional, but they weren’t that horrible either (Combined 17/30 and 188 yards passing). The truth is that the Bengals were all over the Chiefs, and it would have taken something special from the QBs to keep this came competitive.

The Jaguars got something special from their QB in week 11 as Chad Henne threw for four TDs, 354 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once. It wasn’t enough as the defense allowed 43 points and the rushing game offered Henne only 80 yards. It was an extreme effort by the Jaguars’ backup, but the team ended up falling short in the end anyway.

It was not a great effort from Andrew Luck this week. With three interceptions (two returned for TDs) and a lost fumble, it was probably the rookie’s worst outing so far. With that said, it was more than the rookie’s struggles that sunk the Colts. Even taking away his two pick sixes, the Patriots would still have put up 45 points. That’s part of the reason Luck was throwing all over the field (50 attempts, 334 yards). His mistake filled performance helped solidify the game as a blowout, but the Patriots were clearly the better team on Sunday, regardless of who was playing QB for the Colts.

WEEK 11 LOWEST SUPPORT WINNER

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
texans	M. schaub	jaguars	win	2.240

As the Jaguars Chad Henne was lighting up the Texans defense, it took a strong effort from Matt Schaub to secure win. The Texans rushing game continued to thrive, putting up 136 yards on the ground. When the defense allows 37 points though, and Schaub has to throw 55 times for 527 yards to pull out a win in overtime, it’s hard to say that he wasn’t a big part of this victory.